KC Headlines: Royals Rule, Chiefs Regroup, Hidden Ball Trick
By Ben Nielsen
Aug 11, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of Kauffman Stadium during a game between the Kansas City Royals and the Boston Red Sox. The Royals won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
ABOUT LAST NIGHT…
Royals 4, Red Sox 3
Remember that time when the Royals were good at baseball? No? That’s okay, me neither.
In a stunning turn of events, the Royals took three of four from the Boston Red Sox this weekend to push their post All-Star break record to 18-5 and pull within 4.5 games of the FIRST wild card spot. That’s right: not the second wild card spot but the FIRST wild card spot. Things are getting crazy, folks.
It didn’t come without sacrifices, however, as both Lorenzo Cain and Miguel Tejada each ended up on the deal with muscle injuries. In response, the Royals picked up Jamey Carroll from the Minnesota Twins for cash considerations. The moves helps patch-up second base while Tejada recovers.
Recently acquired Justin Maxwell will rotate with Jarrod Dyson and David Lough in the outfield to cover for Cain’s injury.
Still, the key cogs of the Royals engine remain *knock on wood* a functioning part of the active roster. Losing Cain and Tejada is tough, but can be replaced more easily than, say, Alex Gordon.
Kansas City starts a three-game series against the last place Miami Marlins tonight at Kauffman Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.
Royals Nugget: The Royals are 8-3 against Detroit, Baltimore and Boston during this 18-5 stretch. Not too shabby.
ALSO, since the last time we talked, the Chiefs played a preseason game. They lost 17-13. Meh. More good things happened in that game than bad things, which is important when evaluating a game that doesn’t count. The first team offense and defense were excellent (in the one drive they each played) and some of the backups and rookies showed flashes of being useful parts during the regular season. Lost stinks, yes, but that was probably the only “significant” disappointment from Friday night.
SPORTING Kansas City won their match on Saturday, 3-0. Their win, along with a few key loses by some other Eastern Conference teams, propelled them back into first place. Yay winning!
IN OTHER NEWS…
– The special teams unit looked pretty solid on Friday. (Arrowhead Addict)
– Alex Smith breaks down the first drive from Friday night’s game. (Arrowhead Addict)
– Joel Thorman breaks down the same drive from a different angle. (Arrowhead Pride)
– That Greg Holland guy is pretty good. (MLB.com)
– Breaking down David Lough and “old” rookies. (Kings of Kauffman)
ELSEWHERE AND EVERYWHERE…
– Sinkholes scare the poop out of me. Falling in a sinkhole may be worse than drowning or being set on fire.
– “The BestCoolest Players I’ve Ever Seen.” I call shenanigans because Bo Jackson is only HONORABLE MENTION on this list.
– The Royals should sign this guy. They won’t but they should.
– This week’s update in bad tattoo decisions…
– This is the sports picture of the year so far.
ONE MORE THING…
Tampa Bay pulled off the hidden ball trick over the weekend. Lolz.